AAAI-12 Special Track on Robotics

Timetable for Authors

December 2, 2011 – January 20, 2012: Authors register on the AAAI web site

January 24, 2012 (11:59 PM PST): Electronic papers due

March 27, 2012: Notification of acceptance or rejection

April 17, 2012 (11:59 PM PDT): Camera-ready copy due at AAAI office

From the days of Shakey to current automatic cars, Robotics has been a formidable proving ground for artificial intelligence. In the Special Track on Robotics, we invite papers that challenge the limits of AI and machine learning algorithms with applications to real-world robotic systems. The track will cover applications of AI to a diverse set of domains, including perception, motion planning, control, human-robot interaction, and decision-making. This year, we are particularly interested in showcasing research on the following topics:

Papers will be reviewed by qualified reviewers drawn from a special track committee, with specific expertise in the aforementioned areas, as well as the general AAAI program committee. We encourage submitters to clearly explain how their paper fits into the Special Track on Robotics and answers the call for papers. In rare cases, submissions to this special track deemed not to be relevant may be considered for review for the general technical papers track at the discretion of the track and conference cochairs.

In addition, we would like to have robotics demonstrations at the AAAI conference. Authors are encouraged to submit auxiliary material detailing any live demonstrations relating to their submissions.

Author Registration

Authors must register at the AAAI-12 Robotics web-based technical paper submission site before they submit their abstracts and papers. The software will assign a password, which will enable the author to log on to submit an abstract and paper. In order to avoid a rush at the last minute, authors are encouraged to register as soon as possible after December 2, and well in advance of the January 20 abstract deadline.

Registration will close at 11:00 PM PST on January 20, 2012.

Abstract submission will close at 11:59 PM PST on January 20, 2012.

Final paper submission will close at 11:59 PM PST on January 24, 2012.

Abstract and Paper Submission

Papers may be no longer than 7 pages, where page 7 must contain only references, and no other text whatsoever. Papers must be in trouble-free, high-resolution PDF format, formatted for US Letter (8.5" x 11") paper, using Type 1 or TrueType fonts. Papers must be formatted in AAAI two-column, camera-ready style (see the author instructions page). Please note that these formatting instructions are for final, accepted papers; no additional pages can be purchased at the review stage. In addition, the copyright slug may be omitted in the initial submission phase. Please also refer to the instructions that follow on how to prepare your paper for blind review.

Electronic abstract and paper submission through the AAAI-12 Robotics paper submission site is required on or (preferably) before the deadline dates listed above. We cannot accept submissions by e-mail or fax. Authors will receive confirmation of receipt of their abstracts or papers, including an ID number, shortly after submission. AAAI will contact authors again only if problems are encountered with papers. Inquiries regarding lost papers must be made no later than January 27, 2012.

Blind Review Instructions

Reviewing for the AAAI Conference is blind to the identities of the authors. The first page, on which the paper body begins, should include the title, abstract, content areas, and ID number (if available), but not the acknowledgments and names or affiliations of the authors. The references should include all published literature relevant to the paper, including previous works of the authors, but should not include unpublished works.

When referring to one’s own work, use the third person, rather than the first person. For example, say “Previously, Newell (Newell 1996) has shown that...,” rather than “In our previous work (Newell 1996) we have shown that....” Try to avoid including any information in the body of the paper or references that would identify the authors or their institutions. Such information may be added to the final camera-ready version for publication.

AAAI-12 Policy Concerning Submissions to Other Conferences or Journals

AAAI-12 will not accept any paper which, at the time of submission, is under review for or has already been published or accepted for publication in a journal or another conference. Authors are also required not to submit their papers elsewhere during AAAI's review period. These restrictions apply only to journals and conferences, not to workshops and similar specialized presentations with a limited audience and without archival proceedings. Authors will be required to confirm that their submissions conform to these requirements at the time of submission.

Review Process

Program committee members will identify papers they are qualified to review based on the information submitted electronically (the paper's title, keywords, and abstract). Their reviewing will be done blind to the identities of the authors and their institutions.

Authors will have a limited opportunity to respond to initial reviews. This author's feedback may then be taken into account in the final reviews and recommendations. The program committee's reviews will make recommendations to the senior program committee, which in turn will make recommendations to the track cochairs. In the final decision phase, it will be determined whether the paper will be presented orally and as a poster, or only as a poster. Although the track cochairs will formally make all final decisions, in practice almost all will be made earlier in the process.

Publication

All accepted papers (independent of oral or poster presentation) will be allocated seven (7) pages in the conference proceedings. Up to two (2) additional pages may be used at a cost to the authors of US$ 275 per page. Final papers exceeding page limits and those violating the instructions to authors will not be included in the proceedings. Authors will be required to transfer copyright of their paper to AAAI.

Questions and Suggestions

Concerning author instructions and conference registration, write to:

aaai12@aaai.org

Concerning suggestions for the program and other inquiries, write to the special track cochairs.